When did Ginjo sake emerge?
2026-05-13
Ginjo, a sake different in quality from our nation’s traditional sake, emerged around the end of the Taisho Era. Within a short time since, sake breweries nationwide started producing Ginjo. However, in the background were two major factors: first, the improved rice polishing machine.
Since their use started in Nada since the late Edo Era, hydraulic power was used for water wheel-driven rice polishing. However, by the end of the Taisho Era, the switch was made to horizontal-type rice polishing machine, driving the Ginjo sake production that requires high degree of rice grain polishing.
However, compared to the water wheel-driven rice polishing, the horizontal-type rice-polishing machine drastically improved efficiency in rice-polishing. Polishing rice to the rice-polishing ratio above 80 percent was very difficult due to the method of rubbing rice together. However, since
entering into the Showa Era, the new vertical-type rice-polishing machine emerged, innovating the sake production technology to a new level. The vertical type rice-polishing machine was an epoch-making device that rotated the grindstone called the “diamond roll” to grind the rice in order from the surface portion.
Another factor was the “National Sake Competition” (The Brewing Society of Japan) held every other year from October 1907, and the “Annual Japan Sake Awards” held annually to this day since 1911. Sake breweries nationwide were excited to win a prize in the Sake Fair and the sake Competition. The Brewing Masters fully utilize the latest technologies of their respective era, competing by selecting the variety of the raw material rice, enhancing the degree of rice polishing, and exercising ingenuity in the sake production method. Ginjo sake emerged during the process to produce sake for submission to the Sake Fair.
The higher the rice-polishing ratio for raw material rice, the higher the quality of sake as known since the late Edo Era. Unfortunately until the Taisho Era, there was no sufficient technology to achieve a high degree of rice-polishing. The Brewing Masters’ long-term dream was achieved with the Vertical-type rice-polishing device, rapidly adopted in the early Showa Era. The highly polished raw material rice generates an elegant flavor, evaluated highly during the Sake Fair.
For this reason, the sake submissions naturally gravitated towards Ginjo sake. According to the Annual Japan Sake Awards report before/after 1935, sake produced with rice-polishing ratio above 50 percent constituted over half of all sake submissions that ranked into the top 100 selections. However, in contrast to the current Ginjo sake boom, the Ginjo sake production at the
time aimed to garner awards at the Sake Fair, and since the sake was different in both flavor and aroma up to that point, these sake were rarely distributed among the market.
Since their use started in Nada since the late Edo Era, hydraulic power was used for water wheel-driven rice polishing. However, by the end of the Taisho Era, the switch was made to horizontal-type rice polishing machine, driving the Ginjo sake production that requires high degree of rice grain polishing.
However, compared to the water wheel-driven rice polishing, the horizontal-type rice-polishing machine drastically improved efficiency in rice-polishing. Polishing rice to the rice-polishing ratio above 80 percent was very difficult due to the method of rubbing rice together. However, since
entering into the Showa Era, the new vertical-type rice-polishing machine emerged, innovating the sake production technology to a new level. The vertical type rice-polishing machine was an epoch-making device that rotated the grindstone called the “diamond roll” to grind the rice in order from the surface portion.
Another factor was the “National Sake Competition” (The Brewing Society of Japan) held every other year from October 1907, and the “Annual Japan Sake Awards” held annually to this day since 1911. Sake breweries nationwide were excited to win a prize in the Sake Fair and the sake Competition. The Brewing Masters fully utilize the latest technologies of their respective era, competing by selecting the variety of the raw material rice, enhancing the degree of rice polishing, and exercising ingenuity in the sake production method. Ginjo sake emerged during the process to produce sake for submission to the Sake Fair.
The higher the rice-polishing ratio for raw material rice, the higher the quality of sake as known since the late Edo Era. Unfortunately until the Taisho Era, there was no sufficient technology to achieve a high degree of rice-polishing. The Brewing Masters’ long-term dream was achieved with the Vertical-type rice-polishing device, rapidly adopted in the early Showa Era. The highly polished raw material rice generates an elegant flavor, evaluated highly during the Sake Fair.
For this reason, the sake submissions naturally gravitated towards Ginjo sake. According to the Annual Japan Sake Awards report before/after 1935, sake produced with rice-polishing ratio above 50 percent constituted over half of all sake submissions that ranked into the top 100 selections. However, in contrast to the current Ginjo sake boom, the Ginjo sake production at the
time aimed to garner awards at the Sake Fair, and since the sake was different in both flavor and aroma up to that point, these sake were rarely distributed among the market.
吟醸酒の誕生
わが国の伝統的な酒とは異質の酒である吟醸酒が登場したのは、大正の末頃のことである。それから短期間のうちに全国の酒蔵でこぞって造られるようになったが、その背景には二つの大きな要因があった。一つは、原料米を搗く精米機の改良である。江戸時代後期に灘で始められて以来、造り酒屋での精米は河川の水カを利用する水車精米に頼っていたが、大正の末頃には電力による横型精米機に切り換えられていた。これが、原料米の高い精白度が要求される吟醸酒造りのきっかけになったのである。ただ、横型精米機は水車精米に比べれば精米の効率を格段に高めたが、米と米とを擦り合わせる方式だったため、精米歩合80％以上に精白するのは至難の業だったという。しかし、昭和に入って間もなく新型の竪型精米機が登場し、酒造りの技術革新は新たな段階に進むことになる。竪型精米機とは、金剛ロールと呼ばれる研削砥石が回転しながら米の表層部分から順次削り取っていく仕組みの精米機で、精米方法の原理的転換を実現した画期的精米機だった。
もうーつの要因は、明治40年10月から隔年で開催された「全国清酒品評会」（醸造協会主催）と、明治44 年から現在まで毎年開催されている「全国新酒鑑評会」である。これらの品評会や鑑評会で入賞するために全国の酒蔵は躍起になった。
杜氏は原料米の品種を選んで米の精白度を高め、酒造法に工夫を凝らすなど、その時代時代の技術を駆使して競い合った。吟醸酒は、この品評会用の酒造りから生まれた酒である。原料米の精米歩合を高めれば高めるほど良質の酒が造れるということは、江戸時代後期からすでに知られていたが、残念ながら大正までは、高度精米のための十分な技術がなかった。その杜氏の長年の夢を実現したのが、昭和の初期に急速に導入された竪型精米機だったわけである。原料米を極度に磨いた酒は淡麗な風味となり、当然、品評会での評価も高い。そのため、出品される酒は自然と吟醸酒に集中していくことになった。昭和10 年前後の新酒鑑評会調査報告によると、精米歩合が50％以上の酒が上位100点のうちの半数以上にものぽっているという。ただ、現在の吟醸酒ブームと違って、当時の吟醸酒造りはあくまで品評会で賞を取るための酒造りであり、また、味も香りもそれまでの日本酒とはまったく異なった酒だったため、市場に出回ることはほとんどなかった。
もうーつの要因は、明治40年10月から隔年で開催された「全国清酒品評会」（醸造協会主催）と、明治44 年から現在まで毎年開催されている「全国新酒鑑評会」である。これらの品評会や鑑評会で入賞するために全国の酒蔵は躍起になった。
杜氏は原料米の品種を選んで米の精白度を高め、酒造法に工夫を凝らすなど、その時代時代の技術を駆使して競い合った。吟醸酒は、この品評会用の酒造りから生まれた酒である。原料米の精米歩合を高めれば高めるほど良質の酒が造れるということは、江戸時代後期からすでに知られていたが、残念ながら大正までは、高度精米のための十分な技術がなかった。その杜氏の長年の夢を実現したのが、昭和の初期に急速に導入された竪型精米機だったわけである。原料米を極度に磨いた酒は淡麗な風味となり、当然、品評会での評価も高い。そのため、出品される酒は自然と吟醸酒に集中していくことになった。昭和10 年前後の新酒鑑評会調査報告によると、精米歩合が50％以上の酒が上位100点のうちの半数以上にものぽっているという。ただ、現在の吟醸酒ブームと違って、当時の吟醸酒造りはあくまで品評会で賞を取るための酒造りであり、また、味も香りもそれまでの日本酒とはまったく異なった酒だったため、市場に出回ることはほとんどなかった。
